Officially called the Los Cabos International Airport, the Los Cabos Airport has had a few names over the years. If you have been visiting for a while, you may remember when it was simply called the San Jose del Cabo Airport (airport code: SJD).
It is a little bit confusing because if you are intending to go to Cabo San Lucas, you will also fly into the San Jose del Cabo Airport. Some people mistakenly call this the Cabo Airport or the Cabo San Lucas Airport, but that is not correct.
There is a tiny little airport located in Cabo San Lucas which is officially called the Cabo San Lucas Airport. You are only likely to fly into this airport if you are Jeff Besos or George Clooney.
This airport services mostly private planes. There are almost no commercial flights available into and out of the Cabo San Lucas Airport.
So just know that if you are trying to get to anywhere in Los Cabos, be is San Jose, Cabo San Lucas, or even places like Los Barriles or La Ventana, you will likely be flying into the San Jose del Cabo Airport.
If you aren’t sure of the difference, we can help you figure out whether you should visit San Jose del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas.
Location of San Jose del Cabo Airport
The San Jose del Cabo Airport is located to the north of San Jose del Cabo downtown where you’ll find some amazing restaurants. It is about 7 miles or 11km from downtown Cabo and takes about 20 minutes to reach San Jose del Cabo from the airport.
The Los Cabos Airport is located about 25 miles or 42km to the east of downtown Cabo San Lucas. It takes about 30 minutes to get here if you take the toll road and about 40 minutes without traffic if you take the free road.
Parking at SJD Airport
There is both long and short term parking available at the San Jose del Cabo Airport.
Short term parking costs 36 Pesos per hour or about $2USD. You can pay for this by credit card or cash. The parking is open from 8am until 8pm every day.
If you would like to park in long term parking, you will pay 215 Pesos per day. This is about $12 USD per day and again can be paid by card or cash. It is best to have Mexican Pesos if you are going to pay in cash so that you get the best rate.
If you choose to pay in USD you will have to use the rate of conversion that the airport has chosen which doesn’t often reflect the actual current exchange rate.
There are ATMs at the airport that you can get Pesos out of for a better rate. Especially if you are from the US and have a Charles Schwab checking account.
The Los Cabos Airport isn’t so different from other airports around the world, but you will want to know a little bit about the processes here.
Terminals at Los Cabos International Airport
Technically there are three terminals in Los Cabos Airport, but only two are used for commercial flights.
Terminal 1 is used for all domestic flights as well as a handful of international flights. If you are connecting into Los Cabos from somewhere else in Mexico, this is the terminal you will arrive and depart from.
If you are flying internationally, be sure to check which terminal you will fly out of so you don’t accidentally go to terminal 2.
Terminal 2 is the international terminal where all flights to and from the US and Canada (and increasingly, from Europe!) arrive to and depart from.
Terminal 3 is the FBO terminal or the Fixed Base Operator terminal. This is used solely for private charters. If you are flying into or out of Los Cabos Airport on a private jet, then this is the terminal you will go to.
What’s Inside Terminal 1?
Terminal 1 is the smaller terminal of the two terminals at SJD Airport. However, there are still a few places to get food and drinks.
There is free WiFi in both terminals at the Los Cabos Airport. Inside terminal 1 you will find plenty of bathrooms, shops for buying snacks and water, cafes for coffee and sandwiches, and a few shops to pick up some last minute souvenirs.
There is a small VIP lounge located in terminal 1 that has a TV, alcohol, snacks, coffee and tea, fast WiFi, and newspapers and magazines to read. You can see opening times and get lounge access on Priority Pass here.
What’s Inside Terminal 2?
Terminal 2 is the larger of the two commercial flight terminals at Los Cabos Airport. Inside you’ll find ample restaurants and bars. There are a few cafes where you can get a coffee and a sandwich to take with you on the plane.
This terminal has a large Duty Free section where you can pick up last minute souvenirs that you forgot to buy for your family back home. There are t-shirts, alcohol, tobacco products, traditional Mexican foods, and overpriced bottles of water.
There is one VIP lounge that has food, drinks, plenty of comfortable chairs to relax in, free WiFi, and TVs to watch. If you don’t have lounge access from your ticket, you can buy it on Priority Pass here.
Spend less time at the airport and more time hiking and exploring all of the fun things to do in Cabo San Lucas!
International Arrivals at Los Cabos Airport
When you arrive into Los Cabos Airport on an international flight, you will have to go through immigration in Mexico.
Most international flights land in Terminal 2, but there are occasionally some international flights that arrive to terminal 1.
Regardless of terminal, you will go through immigration. If you have traveled to Mexico in the past, you may remember that you were given a form to fill out and you had to keep half of that form in your passport for when you left.
They have all but done away with those paper forms. You will now most likely go to the immigration officer who will ask you a few questions such as where you are arriving from, how long you will be in Mexico, and where will you be staying while visiting.
All immigration officers speak English, so you shouldn’t have any problems communicating with them.
They will then stamp your passport and write the number of days you are allowed to stay in the country on that stamp.
The number one reason to come to Los Cabos Airport is to get yourself to the beach!
Getting Out of the Airport
Once you go through immigration, you will walk into the baggage claim area where you can pick up your luggage before you go through what I like to call the cauldron.
This cauldron only exists in a few airports in Mexico, namely Los Cabos Airport, Cancun Airport, and Tulum Airport.
This cauldron was designed to make you confused and feel like you need stop and ask for questions.
Do not stop. Do not ask questions. Do not make eye contact with the sales people who can sense you want to stop and ask them a question.
They may entice you to stop with shouts of ice cold Corona, a free meal that night, a free tour around the city!
This hallway is full of people trying to get you to part with your money for one reason or another. Most of those reasons are overpriced taxis and timeshares.
If you are here to buy a timeshare, then this may be exactly the place you want to be. But if you are not in the market for a timeshare, a realtor, or an overpriced taxi, do not stop until you get through the airport exit.
Cabo San Lucas is a magical place to vacation, avoid the stress of leaving the airport by planning ahead of time how you’ll get from Los Cabos Airport to Cabo San Lucas.
Departures at Los Cabos Airport
Departures at Los Cabos Airport are generally less stressful than arrivals.
If you are a temporary or permanent resident of Mexico (you have a residency card of any kind) and you are flying out of the country from Los Cabos Airport, be sure to tell the person at the check in counter so that you fill in the correct form.
You may need to visit the immigration desk before you leave, but they are attempting to streamline this process more by having most of the paperwork completed at the check in desk.
If you are simply a tourist who was stamped into the country, you don’t have to do anything else besides check into your flight and go through the normal bag drop/security process.
If you are used to flying in the US, you may forget that you do not have to take your shoes off when in security lines in Mexico. You can keep your shoes on through security unless you are asked to removed them.
Give yourself two hours to get through check in and security if you are traveling to Los Cabos in lower season and give yourself up to three hours during peak times like December, January, and spring break. The lines during those times can be very long.
Stunning beaches in Los Cabos that you don’t want to miss like Santa Maria, pictured here.
Getting to Cabo San Lucas from the Airport
This biggest question is usually how to get from the Los Cabos Airport to Cabo San Lucas.
This can be frustrating if you don’t want to pay a fortune.
The first thing you should do is find out if your hotel or resort offers a shuttle. Some hotels offer a free shuttle as part of the price of your stay (though this has become quite rare). They may offer you a good rate for pickup which will cost less than a private transfer.
Taking the bus
You have a few options depending on what your budget is. The cheapest option is to take the bus. There is a purple and yellow bus that departs from outside of the airport and takes you to downtown Cabo San Lucas.
This takes about an hour and will cost you about 100 Pesos ($5USD). You should pay in Mexican Pesos and in cash. They sometimes take USD but not at a favorable rate.
Once you get off the bus, you’ll have to walk to your hotel or grab a local taxi. If you are staying at a resort along the Tourist Corridor, then you may be able to simply get off the bus and walk to your hotel easily from there. Just be sure to tell the driver exactly what hotel you’re going to if you want to stop along that route.
Getting a private transfer
If you are traveling with more than two people in your group, a private transfer van can be a pretty good option.
With this transfer option you pay $75 and you can fit up to five people in the vehicle with their luggage.
If you are traveling solo or with just one other person, a shared transfer is a better option for the price.
You can pay roughly $50 per person with this airport transfer and you will get round-trip pick and drop off from airport directly to your hotel. You will just have to share the van with a few other travelers as well. Book that transfer option here.
Taking an airport taxi
If you didn’t organize a transfer in advance and you don’t want to take the bus, the most expensive but convenient option is to take an airport taxi.
You can expect to pay about 1,500 Mexican Pesos or about $93 USD to take an airport taxi.
The price of the taxi should be paid before you leave the airport and depends on which part of the city you are going to. It should take between 35-35 minutes to get to your destination depending on its location.
Whether you are visiting Cabo San Lucas or San Jose del Cabo, you will likely arrive to the Los Cabos Airport.
Getting to San Jose del Cabo from the Airport
Getting from Los Cabos Airport to San Jose del Cabo is a little bit easier and cheaper since it is closer to the airport.
By bus
The same bus that you can take from Los Cabos Airport to Cabo San Lucas is the bus you will want to catch if you are going to San Jose del Cabo.
It is called the Ruta del Desierto and is a purple and yellow (or goldish) colored bus. Tell the bus driver that you will get off in San Jose del Cabo and they will charge you accordingly. It will cost roughly 80 Pesos (about $4 USD).
There isn’t a very central bus stop for the hotel zone in San Jose del Cabo. The bus runs down Federal Highway 1, which doesn’t go through the middle of town.
Depending on where you are staying, I recommend getting off near Walmart and from here you can order and Uber (you can’t use Uber at the airport).
By private shuttle
If you want to get from Los Cabos Airport to San Jose del Cabo quickly, then you’ll want to pre-arrange a private shuttle.
This private transfer company charge a single fee for a roundtrip pick up and drop off.
They will meet you in arrivals with a sign and then when its time to head back to the airport at the end of your trip, they’ll pick you up at your hotel and take you back. Book that private transfer option here.
The cheaper option is to book a shared transfer like this one. The price is significantly cheaper for those traveling solo or as a couple and also includes a round-trip journey to the airport. Book a shared taxi here.
Take a taxi
For those that want to leave their options open or just want the easiest and quickest option when arriving to the San Jose del Cabo Airport, you can take an airport taxi.
You do not need to prebook an airport taxi. You can simply go up to the desk once you have gone through to the arrivals hall. Do not get a taxi from the cauldron people, these are not official airport taxis.
A taxi from Los Cabos Airport to San Jose del Cabo should cost around 1,000-1,200 MXN depending on where you are staying in San Jose. That is roughly $65-70 USD.
Renting a Car at Los Cabos Airport
There is only one car rental company that I use in Los Cabos, Cactus Rent a Car.
I have used them half a dozen times and will continue to use them any time I need a car in Los Cabos.
Their office is located at the airport. They will bring you from the terminal to the car rental office and walk you through everything quickly and efficiently so you are spending more time on vacation and less time filling out paperwork at a car rental company.
The staff couldn’t be nicer and the prices are fair, especially compared to other Los Cabos car rental companies.
You can watch the following video to see a full experience with renting a car with Cactus rent a car.
Airport Hotels
If you are arriving late at night or have a flight out of Los Cabos Airport at the wee hours of the morning, you may want to consider staying at a Los Cabos Airport Hotel.
There is only one hotel that is within walking distance of the airport terminals. Hotel Aeropuerto is the best option for where to stay close to the San Jose del Cabo Airport.
Your stay here includes a free shuttle to your terminal, but guests in the reviews all agree that you can easily and quickly walk to the terminal if you need to as well.
Rooms are clean and comfortable, there is an outdoor pool to cool off in, and breakfast is included in the room price. Book a stay at Hotel Aeropuerto here.
Another nearby hotel that has a shuttle to and from the terminal and is also close enough to walk or take an Uber is Suites Lomboy & Plaza. The rooms here are more like little apartments with kitchenettes and lounge areas.
The suites are very comfortable so if you are a family that wants a bigger space while staying close to the airport, then you should book a stay here.